Pastors of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Syracuse’s south side are coming together to ask the community for help in response to Thursday’s mass shooting on Midland Avenue.
President of the alliance Pastor Bryant Gerald, Sr. urged those with information about the shooting to come forward in a press conference on Saturday.
“As clergy, we want to say that the increasing violence has got to stop. Enough is enough. Let me say that again. Enough is enough.”
The shooting left five people injured including an eight-year-old. No suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting. The pastors say they had two goals in mind when calling the press conference.
“We are simply asking two things. One, please consider coming forth if you have any information. Two, we are asking all pastors across the city to repeat this come-forward appeal to their congregation.”
Vice President of the alliance Pastor Erik Eure says the church is doing their part to both express its concern and look for a solution to the violence on the south side.
“When we become numb to those types of things we’re really, really lost. So we should be a little outraged, we should be angry, we should be concerned, we should want to be provoked to do something.”
Eure says his fellow pastors are concerned when it is tragedy that brings them together but they want to use to opportunity to make Syracuse a safer place. A place that is not hindered by violence.
“We have a very captive audience as pastors on Sunday mornings. Again, made up of congregations of people from the city of Syracuse. So we want to present the same message to them and say hey, if you know something, say something.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Syracuse police department at (315) 442-5222.